Bari Weiss defended CBS’s choice to base Erika Kirk and the late Charlie Kirk during a recent town hall, emphasizing the importance of having conversations with those with whom we disagree.
The new CBS News editor appeared on CBS Morning to explain her decision. Weiss insisted that she disagrees with Kirk on many fronts but that it’s important to have these conversations because America is “going into the abyss as a country.”
“I just fundamentally disagree with the idea that we shouldn’t speak across our differences,” Weiss said. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t lines. The question, of course, is whether Charlie Kirk crossed those lines, and in my opinion, and you heard me quote a lot of controversial things he said — needless to say, there are a lot of things Charlie Kirk said throughout his life that I strongly disagree with, but to me, that’s not the point. The point is, if we accept the idea that words are violence, but if violence is directed at it, then we as a country are headed for the abyss. It’s acceptable to have the right goals.”
She added: “I fundamentally reject this worldview. The whole point of our democracy, the whole premise of us entering our 250th year, is that we solve our problems by persuasion. We solve our problems by talking to each other. We don’t solve our problems by shooting each other like we did that day at the University of Utah, and that, to me, especially when we live in a world where you can live next door to someone if You can live in a different reality when you have different things on your social media feed, and so, the point of this conversation, even if it makes some people uncomfortable, even if they disagree with some of the things that they hear on stage, and I don’t agree with some of the things that I hear on stage, that’s the whole nature of the democratic process and this conversation and the whole series that we’re going to announce in the next few days, is to revitalize the moment that this country needs it.”
Erika Kirk’s town hall will be held on Saturday, December 13th. The “Town Hall with Erika Kirk” special will air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. The town hall will cover “faith, grief, perseverance and the memory of her husband, Charlie Kirk.”
On September 10, Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University. After his death, his wife, Erika, took over as his successor at Turning Point USA and currently serves as the chairman and CEO of the conservative youth organization.
The Dec. 13 telethon will be Weiss’ first appearance on the program since taking over as editor-in-chief of CBS News. A Town Hall With Erika Kirk will then air on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7.
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